We are sailing for the first time and I have heard everyone say because we booked so early we should easily get upgraded whatever that means!! All I know is we started out at the bottom and we are still at the bottom. We did get a military discount but we booked 3 rooms one being a suite ( they are not at the bottom) I am just so confused I don't want to be the bottom feeders!!! Can someone please explain how this works? By the way I don't know if any of this makes a difference but we are sailing on the Legend, 11 December. Thanks in advance.

You sound like me yesterday. Let me see if I can help. There is no longer bottom feeders. Do you have pictured in your mind the Titanic with all the poor people on the bottom. That is what i was thinking. On a cruise ship, everyone is equal. The difference is what type of room you asked, and paid for. There are of course, inside rooms, rooms with port holes, ocean view rooms, and the balcony ones. A upgrade would be if you got higher up on the ship, or if they went from an ocean view to balcony, etc. The only reason to get higher on the ship, is not because you receive better service, but to be closer to the activities. Not everybody gets an upgrade, if fact most people don't. I to thought because I booked early, and with a plea from Carnival to rebook after my cruises were cancelled, I would get an upgrade. It didn't happen, and I was disappointed, and it took someone like my sons to make me realize that we were thankful to be on a cruise, and that we were just as special as the person at the top.

With the exception of the suites all cabhins are the same size on CCL ships so you will not notice any differance once the door is shut. <G> As for upgrades, did you book GTY cabins or specific cabins? Makes a differance.Never ever book a cabin or catagory cabin that you will not be satisfied with. When you book a GTY expect to be assigned the very worst cabin in that cat. That way you will not be disappointed. How soon is your sailing? Upgrades are usually not made until the last month or so of sailing. Upgrades are also much less likely on popular sailings and ships as they tend to fill up and the better cabins actually sold for what they are and not by folks who book and pay for a lower cat expecting to get an upgrade. I hope you get what you want but really, never book below what you will be satisfied with.
Jim

I didn't book hoping for an upgrade I just figured we wouldn't be at the bottom of the ship. We booked almost a year in advance. We have an ocean view room and I am fine with that do not expect to be in it very much!! I know we will be happy no matter what but it would be nice to be closer to all the activities. We leave in a 14 days, so I doubt anything is going to change. I don't know how the travel agent booked us she just told us we were booked and I was happy the only thing we were specific about was that we wanted an ocean view room and also a suite. Anyway thank you for the help.

Location: Wisconsin....about 100 miles south of the Frozen Tundra and 70 miles east of Camp Randall

Posts: 9,697

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with cabins on the lower decks! In fact, you will be closer to the shopping, show lounges, dining rooms, bars and lounges, etc., than if you were on higher decks! Also, you will get a smoother "ride" (the motion of the ocean won't be as bad down low as it would be if you were higher.) The cabins and service are the same. Ships, compared to land based resorts are smaller....therefore the distances are not as long as they seem to be. The exception to the above is that the buffet and the pools will a little farther away, but what is one minute in an elevator in the scheme of things? Go and have a great cruise - and quit worrying about how high or low on the ship you are.

when we cruise we always book a inside cabin on the riviera deck is
nice and quiet and a smooth ride cabins always neat and clean and the
staffis friendly and helpfull the other reason cruise on the riviera we can get a grat price fot the cruise and when you get into port you only have
take a flight of stairs to get to 0 deck to get off the ship

Lisa has really put it nicely. The cabins are the same size and are no differant on any deck level. In addition you will not feel near as much motion down low and it is also nice an quite for sleeping. With an outside cabin you will be close to the water and it is nice to be able to see out directly at the sea so close. When you are up higher you don't see the ocean very close at all. The location of your cabin means that nobody is going to be wandering by your cabin and making noise at 4 am in the morning. <G> Go and enjoy and let us know how you like the cruise. One of the things I forgot to mention is that a smaller agency that does not sell much CCL is less likely to get upgrades as well as they have less 'pull' with a cruiseline.
Jim

Location: Wisconsin....about 100 miles south of the Frozen Tundra and 70 miles east of Camp Randall

Posts: 9,697

Thank you, Jim!!!!! On my two previous Carnival cruises, I have been on Riveria Deck....and on my upcoming Liberty cruise, I am down there again!!!! I wouldn't book there if there wasn't an advantage to it (besides the lower single supplement! lol)

Thank you everyone, I guess we did get the good deal then!!! I will definately let you know how the cruise goes. I am very excited and a little nervous. Oh and we booked through the military ITT office I imagine they are pretty big as that is who most of the Navy goes through for their vacations Thank you again you will be hearing from me when we return.